


they're gonna steal your goddamn teeth

by DragonsAndCryptids



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gajeel-centric, Gen, Levy-Centric, M/M, Multi, No Smut, Not a lot I swear, Other, Recreational Drug Use, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking, everyone is just a little Off and levy is Concerned, gajeel is trying his best, just like.... a little bit, most of them are stoners okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:55:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23994865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonsAndCryptids/pseuds/DragonsAndCryptids
Summary: Levy never expected to actually end up liking the rude, punk, ass of a man that she ended up tutoring, let alone getting dragged into his messed up life, meeting his siblings, and all his weird friends.Lucy warned her not to get involved with them. But Levy just couldn't help herself.
Relationships: Cana Alberona/Juvia Lockser, Erza Scarlet/Mirajane Strauss, Juvia Lockser & Gajeel Redfox, Levy McGarden/Gajeel Redfox, Lucy Heartfilia & Levy McGarden, Lucy Heartfilia/Loke, Natsu Dragneel & Wendy Marvell & Gajeel Redfox, Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster
Comments: 8
Kudos: 106





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Once again, I'm experimenting with a new type of fic. No fantasy or sci-fi elements of any kind! It's gonna be shorter than my other stuff, mostly because I'm not used to this and want to see if I even enjoy writing it, but I am excited for this! I've been playing around with the idea for a while now. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this little fic experiment

When she started school, Levy had no intention of being a tutor. It wasn’t that she had anything against it, she would just rather spend more time focused on her  _ own _ studies, rather than working. But, well, money was really enticing, and she’d rather not take out more loans than she had to. 

And tutoring wasn’t too bad. At least it wasn’t retail, or something like that, like she had done in high school. 

However… some of the students were a little odd. But well, that  _ was _ to be expected. College was weird. College students were weird. Hell, at least the ones she worked with were undergrads. She would argue that her fellow grad students were even worse in the weirdness department. 

Her roommate liked to tease that the longer Levy was in academia, the weirder she was going to get. But then again, Lucy had never really had a passion for learning. She’d stopped school as soon as she got her associates and managed to get an entry-level position at the local paper. 

But to be fair, Levy did end up getting a little weirder, but she wasn’t going to blame it on trying to get her masters degree. 

No, she was going to blame it all on Gajeel Redfox. 

Stupid Gajeel Redfox, who only came for tutoring because one of his friends made him. Who really was just very odd. Who introduced her to his crazy family and friends. Who got her to start running with a really strange crowd. 

Stupid Gajeel Redfox, who Levy liked entirely way too much. 

* * *

Levy had been tutoring for a couple months when Gajeel turned up for the first time. Honestly, she didn’t remember most of the students that only came once or twice, they all blended together after a while. But she definitely remembered him. 

Part of it was his appearance. Not a whole lot of people had that many piercings or hair that wild or eyes that red. 

The other part of it was how  _ difficult _ he was. He obviously didn’t want to be there, which was odd. Students only came for help if they  _ wanted _ it, and usually hung onto every word she said. Not Gajeel, though. He wasn’t paying attention, and answered any of her questions with short, snappish comments. 

Well, she wasn’t having any of that, and got rather snappish herself. 

Finally, at one point, she leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and huffed, “I can’t help you if you don’t let me!” 

He glanced up from his textbook. “Sorry,” he muttered. “School really ain’t my thing. I’m just here ‘cause Ju made me come.” 

Levy sighed. “Trust me, I get it.” That was why most people came here. Because they  _ weren’t _ the greatest at school, they just needed a little extra help. “But I can help you understand this a lot better if you actually listen to and talk to me.” She leaned over to grab his textbook. “Is it just math?” 

He shrugged. “Got a test in a few days. Kinda what’s important right now, I guess.” 

She nodded. “Okay then. Which chapters is it over?” 

Gajeel was a little less difficult after that. 

* * *

Levy had bitched a  _ little _ about Gajeel to Lucy after that. And she did not expect to see him again. 

So she was surprised when he came back a couple weeks later, awkwardly approaching her and handing her some crumpled up papers, covered in stains. “I have a fucking long research paper due in a couple days and I can’t write worth shit.” 

“Oh!” She worked on smoothing out the papers. “Writing is my specialty.” She squinted at the papers. “It has to be on… some aspect of theatre?” 

He nodded. 

“Okay then. Are you… a theatre major? Acting? Anything like that?” He didn’t seem the type, but what did she know? 

“Hell no. They just stuck me in that dumbass class ‘cause I needed hours, or something.” He sat down next to her. “I got no idea what’s going on in there, stupid theatre appreciation…” 

Levy couldn’t help but chuckle. “Okay, well, it looks like it only has to be three pages, minimum.” 

“Yeah, that’s a fucking lot,” he said. 

Levy didn’t know how to break it to him that it really wasn’t. “Okay. Why don’t you show me what you have, and we’ll go from there?” 

“Uh…” He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “About that…” 

_ Great.  _ “Okay. First, we need a more specific topic.” 

* * *

Gajeel started coming more and more frequently. He was getting better. He actually listened to her, and could be pleasant to be around, surprisingly. 

But Levy realized he was being serious about school not being his thing. Not only was it difficult for him, he  _ hated _ it. 

“If you don’t mind me asking,” she said one day, after he’d started coming at least once a week. “What  _ is _ your major?” She had yet to figure it out, he’d never told her, and all his classes were just so random. 

“Oh, general studies, I guess,” he said. “I just need a degree.” 

She nodded. That made sense. “Oh, okay. So I guess you’re just getting your associates?” 

“Yeah. I’d rather die than keep doing this shit, no offense.” He groaned and tossed his pencil down, glaring at the math problems that he just couldn’t seem to understand. 

Levy frowned. He’d been here for almost two hours, trying to get this down. She understood why he was getting so frustrated with it. “Tell you what, how about we take a break?” She glanced at her watch. “It’s about six, and—” 

Gajeel jerked forward. “Shit! It’s already six?” He grabbed his papers and shoved them into his bag. “Sorry! Wendy’ll kill me if I’m not home in time for dinner. See you around, Shrimp.” He dashed off, without even zipping his bag, leaving his papers and books dangerously close to falling out. 

Levy frowned.  _ Shrimp? _

* * *

“And oh my god, the new guy they hired keeps flirting with me!” Lucy said as she leaned against the table. “And he’s cute, dammit!” 

Levy hummed as she sorted through papers. Lucy had come by with lunch, and decided to stay and chat for a while, since it was a slow day. “Okay, but is he actually interested, or is he just like that?” 

Lucy groaned and threw her head back. “That’s the problem! I don’t know! And I don’t want to assume anything and look like an idiot!” 

“Yeah, I don’t know,” Levy admitted. “I’m not good at that kind of thing anyways. I guess, just wait and see?” She shoved a handful of fries into her mouth. 

“Yeah…” Lucy sighed. “I guess you’re right.” 

“Hey, shrimp!” 

Levy squeaked and peered around Lucy, to see Gajeel approaching, waving around a piece of paper. “I got a seventy-five on that goddamn test thanks to you!” His gaze locked onto Lucy. “Ah, shit, sorry, I didn’t—”

Levy shook her head and motioned for him to sit down. “This is just my roommate, Lucy. Lucy, this is Gajeel.” 

“Oh.” Lucy stood up straight, and held her hand out to shake. “Nice to meet you.” 

Gajeel shook her hand, before setting his bag down with a  _ thunk, _ not even bothering to tell her hi. 

Lucy turned to Levy, gave her a look, mouthed the words  _ I’m sorry, _ before grabbing the last few of her onion rings and taking off. 

Levy winced. She had gotten used to Gajeel, but to everyone else, he probably did seem like an ass. It probably didn’t help that she used to complain to Lucy about him, and then didn’t really explain that she… didn’t really mind him anymore. Actually, she was kind of starting to enjoy spending time with him. 

“Ju’s finally quit breathing down my neck thanks to you,” Gajeel said. “I’m finally passing everything.” 

_ Passing? _ Had he seriously been  _ failing _ classes before he started coming to her? “W-Well that’s good,” she said. “Especially considering the semester’s almost over.” 

“Yeah…” He grimaced. “And then I have to do it all over again next semester.” He rolled his eyes. “Least you’ll still be around, though.” 

“Oh!” Levy shook her head. “Actually I won’t. I’m graduating this year.” She grinned. “Finally got that degree in linguistics! Yeah, I’m actually trying to get a job in a museum a couple towns over, since you know… I specialized in dead languages.” She shrugged. 

“Oh…” Gajeel frowned. “Hope that works out for you.” 

“Yeah, me too.” If not, it wasn’t the end of the world, and she wouldn’t be surprised if someone else got the job instead, but it would still be nice. 

Gajeel stared at her for a second, before blurting out. “Come over for dinner?”

Levy’s eyes widened. “What?” 

“Uh…” Gajeel cleared his throat. “Just as like… a thank you… I guess. I think Wendy’s makin’ spaghetti tonight.” 

Well… it wasn’t like she was  _ doing _ anything tonight. What was the harm? “Uh, okay, sure. What time?” 

He grinned. “I can pick you up around five.” 

* * *

“I can’t believe you’re going to that weirdo’s house for dinner!” Lucy exclaimed. “He’s gonna steal your teeth! Or something…” She shook her head. “Something like that.” 

Levy frowned. Lucy was being ridiculous. Gajeel was perfectly fine! Sure, he could be a little intense, and looked like he was… involved in some less than savory activities, but he was actually kind of nice once you got to know him. “Why would someone even steal teeth anyways?” 

Lucy threw her arms up. “I don’t know! It was the first thing I thought of. I just meant that he’s a shifty looking guy. I thought you hated him.” 

She shook her head. “No! I just… you just have to get used to him. I think he’s a good guy, once you get past all the… well, everything else.” She shrugged, and finished buckling her sandals. “Besides, if you’re really worried, you can track my cell phone, okay?” 

“Uh, yeah. That wasn’t even gonna be a choice, Lev,” Lucy said as she fell backwards onto the couch. 

“And he said someone named Wendy would be there, probably a girlfriend or something like that,” she continued. “So it’s not like it’s just gonna be me and him alone.” 

Lucy began to relax, a little. “Well, I guess that’s better. But you  _ better _ answer any of my calls and texts, or else I am  _ going _ to call the cops. I don’t wanna find you dead in a ditch somewhere with missing teeth and organs, or like… sold to meth junkies or something.” 

“You are being  _ extremely _ judgemental,” Levy scolded. 

Lucy shrugged. “What if I suddenly went over to that Loke guy’s place without actually knowing a whole lot about him by myself?” 

Levy thought about that for a minute. “Okay, yeah, that’s fair. But I promise I’ll be okay.” 

“You better be.” 

* * *

True to his word, Gajeel showed up right at five. 

On his motorcycle. 

“Sorry,” he said as he tossed her a helmet. “Woulda brought the car, but my dumbass brother took it somewhere.” 

Levy tugged the helmet on. “It’s fine.” Sure, she’d never actually ridden on a motorcycle before, but it couldn’t be that bad, could it? 

Lucy leaned out of the open window. “You better be home by nine, young lady, understand?” 

Levy scoffed and shook her head. “Aren’t you going out drinking with your coworkers tonight?” 

Lucy sighed, and flopped down onto the window sill. “Don’t remind me. Drinking with Aquarius is the  _ worst. _ She somehow manages to get meaner.” 

Levy laughed, and turned back to Gajeel. 

“She seems… fun,” he said. 

Levy nodded. “Yeah, we’ve been friends since grade school.” 

“Oh, are you from the area?” he asked. 

“No, we moved out here a few years ago, for school.” She frowned. “Well, I did. She insisted on coming with me.” 

“You’re not from Magnolia?” 

She shook her head. “Nope. Are you?” 

He nodded. “Born and raised, with my two bratty siblings.” He grinned. “You’ll be meetin’ ‘em tonight. Sorry in advance about Natsu. Wendy’s alright, though.” 

Oh, so Wendy was a  _ sister. _ And a brother. So he probably still lived at home. “Oh, I’m sure they’ll all be alright,” she said. “Will your parents be there, too?” 

He hesitated for a moment, but then shook his head. “No, just us. Well, I say just us.” He relaxed again. “Some of Natsu’s jackass friends might be there. They almost always are.” He got back on the bike. “Alright, come on. And hang on.” 

Levy took a deep breath, but sat down behind him and wrapped her arms around him. 

* * *

Levy wasn’t ashamed to admit that she had her eyes shut the entire time. But she couldn’t help it! You weren’t supposed to go that fast without having something protective around you! Who in their right mind would  _ enjoy _ that? 

Gajeel laughed at her as she pulled her helmet off. “You good? Think you mighta cracked my ribs you were squeezing me so hard.” 

She blushed and turned her head away. “Sorry.” 

“Nah, y’er fine,” he said. “We can take the car when I bring you back.” 

“Thanks…” She rubbed her shoulder. “I appreciate it.” 

She turned her attention to the house, and it wasn’t really what she expected. It was a little small, and the siding could do with a repaint, but it was obviously well taken care of. All different kinds of plants and flowers were planted in the front yard, with even more pots lining the little porch. 

Gajeel must have noticed her staring, because he said, “Wendy likes to garden. Herbs especially. Uses ‘em in all kinds of recipes and teas ‘n that kind of shit.” 

“Oh, that’s cool.” Levy had never been very good with plants. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t even keep a succulent alive. She had to rely on Lucy for keeping their two little potted plants going. 

Gajeel pulled the door open, kicking off his boots as he went. “Hey! Brat! Bastard! I’m home! And we got an extra one for dinner!” 

Levy followed behind him, peering around him for her first glimpse inside. 

There wasn’t really an entryway, the door led right into the living room. Three people lounged on the old, leather couch. A pink-haired man took up most of the room, with another dark-haired one laying across him. They bickered about something, only stopping to take a breath when they wanted to take a drag from their cigarettes. 

“Natsu! I told you not to smoke in the damn house!” Gajeel snapped as he marched over. “Fucking smoke outside!” 

“Told you he’d be pissed when he got back,” the third person said, a red haired woman, who was occupying herself by stabbing a knife into the coffee table, narrowly missing each finger as she moved faster and faster. “But you dumbasses were too damn lazy to go smoke outside.” 

“Piss off, Erza,” the dark-haired man huffed, before he nudged her shoulder with his foot. 

“Don’t think I won’t stab you,” she said, still not stopping with the knife. 

“Outside!” Gajeel shouted. “If I smoke outside, so can you!” 

The pink-haired man stuck his tongue out, but got up to go outside. Then he noticed Levy and froze. “Who the fuck’s this?” 

“Natsu, this is Levy,” Gajeel said. “Be nice to her or I’ll kick yer ass. Fullbuster, Scarlet, same goes for you.” 

Levy leaned back as Natsu approached her, seemingly having no concept of personal space. “Levy?” 

Gajeel grabbed the back of Natsu’s hoodie and yanked him backwards. “Back off. Take yer stupid boyfriend outside and finish those damn cigarettes. Scarlet! Quit stabbin’ the table!” 

Erza raised an eyebrow, but tossed the knife to the side and got up, accompanying the two boys as they went outside. 

Gajeel sighed and shook his head. “Sorry about them. That’s my brother Natsu, and his boyfriend and their best friend.” 

“Oh, it’s fine,” Levy assured him, though she wasn’t quite sure what to make of the trio. Even that short interaction had been… odd… “They seem… nice?” 

“You don’t gotta lie,” he said as he walked further into the house. “They’re fuckin’ weirdos and jackasses. They bother you, just let me know.” 

“Oh, I’m sure they’ll be alright,” she said as she followed him. 

Though she could tell already… it was going to be a long night. 


	2. Chapter 2

“Wendy, did you see the new lesbian Gajeel brought home?” Natsu asked as he leaned through the open window. 

A young girl with deep blue hair whipped around, eyes gleaming. “Really?” 

“Uh…” Levy’s brain was going into overdrive trying to figure out what the hell that even meant, but Gajeel was already reacting, grabbing a plastic bowl off the kitchen table and chucking it at his brother’s head. 

“Piss off, asshole!” he shouted. 

Natsu cackled, narrowly dodging the dish. 

“And Cana’s bi!” Gajeel added as Natsu disappeared from view. 

The little girl bounded over. “Who are you?” she asked. “Gajeel doesn’t usually bring people over, except Juvia and Cana.” 

“Um, my name is Levy,” she said. “And you… must be Wendy, right?” She hadn’t expected her to be so  _ young. _ She had to be only about twelve or thirteen. Her eyes widened, as she realized the atrocious amount of cursing this girl had heard in just the past few minutes alone. God knew what else she’d heard from her brothers! 

Wendy nodded. “Sure am!” Then she whipped around to snatch a piece of garlic bread out of Gajeel’s hand. “No eating until the rest of the food’s done and everyone’s at the table!” 

Gajeel rolled his eyes and muttered, “Fucking brat.” 

Wendy stuck her tongue out at him, before turning back to Levy. “So  _ are _ you a lesbian?” 

“Wendy!” Gajeel exclaimed. 

“What?” she asked innocently. “Natsu said she was, and we do know a lot of lesbians… Is she someone’s girlfriend?” 

“No!” he snapped, before turning to Levy, an almost pained expression on his face. “Are you?” 

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “On both accounts.” 

Wendy hummed, and turned back to the pot of boiling noodles on the stove. “I was just wondering if maybe Lisanna had started dating someone. I know Mira’s been trying to set her up recently.” 

“Why the hell would Lisanna’s girlfriend be with me?” Gajeel asked. 

She shrugged. “Don’t know. But it’s not like you ever meet new people. Neither does Natsu. You’ve been hanging out with the same people ever since I can remember.” 

Gajeel grunted, before glancing at Levy. “You can sit down, you know.” 

Levy realized she’d been standing rigid against the counter, and forced herself to go sit down at the table. 

“She’s the one who’s been helping me with school,” Gajeel said. “Told you about that one.” 

Wendy gasped.  _ “Oooohhhh! _ Oh! It’s so nice to meet you! I’m sorry!” She pressed her hands against her reddening cheeks. “I’m so sorry about Natsu!” 

Levy couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh, it’s okay, I promise.” Though she couldn’t help but wonder how much damage control this girl had to do for her brothers. It’d taken her quite a while to get used to Gajeel, and from what she’d seen, Natsu wasn’t exactly easy to handle either. 

Wendy turned back to Gajeel. “Hey, is it okay if Chelia comes over tomorrow?” 

He narrowed his eyes. “Is your homework done?” 

“You never do your homework!” she argued. “And you don’t make Natsu do his!” 

Gajeel sighed and tossed his head back. “Natsu was already held back once. He knows how to avoid it now, and Scarlet doesn’t let him get away with missing assignments very often. Besides, y’er the only one of us actually  _ going _ to college. Can’t be a doctor if you fail seventh grade.” 

"That _is not_ true," Wendy whined, but she relented. “And fine. If I do it all tonight, can she?” 

Levy’s frown deepened the more of the conversation she listened to. Why was she asking  _ Gajeel _ for permission? What about their parents? Where  _ were _ their parents? Why was a seventh grader fixing dinner, and why was no one stopping teenagers from smoking  _ period, _ not just stopping them from smoking in the house? 

“I don’t care,” he said. “You know, you don’t gotta ask. Natsu’s dipshit friends practically live here and that bastard’s never asked me  _ once _ if they could come over.” 

Wendy placed her hands on her hips, and gave him a teasing glare. “You  _ told _ Erza she could actually move in if she wanted to, because  _ you _ don’t trust her mom. Don’t even try, Gajeel.” 

“Only an idiot would trust that bitch Irene with a fucking kid,” he said, before shaking his head. “Why are we even talking about this right now?” He shot Levy a glance. “How much longer until the food is ready?” 

_ Oh god… _ It wasn’t hard to piece it together after that. Honestly, she should have figured it out as soon as she stepped foot in the damn house. No parents were home, Gajeel had gotten twitchy when she mentioned them, Wendy was cooking by herself, she asked Gajeel for permission to do things, Gajeel had the final say of who got to stay in the house and who didn’t. 

Gajeel was  _ raising his siblings. _

Levy did her best to keep her expression neutral as she realized it, but if the look Gajeel gave her was any indication, she hadn’t hidden her concern or shock very well. But he didn’t say anything. 

“A few more minutes,” Wendy said, snapping Levy out of her thoughts. The little girl leaned out the open window. “Natsu, Gray, Erza! Come in for dinner!” 

Levy sank further into her chair, not sure what to think anymore. 

* * *

Levy couldn’t help it. She’d been staring at Erza for the past thirty seconds, and she just  _ couldn’t _ keep her mouth shut anymore. “Are you… Are you putting sugar in your spaghetti?” 

The redhead glanced up. “Of course. Don’t you?” 

She shook her head. 

Erza narrowed her eyes. “Odd.” 

“Erz,  _ you’re _ the fucking weirdo,” Gray said. 

Natsu snickered. 

Erza whacked the back of Gray’s head so hard he had to brace himself against the table to keep himself from flying forward, one of his hands smashing straight down into Natsu’s plate. He didn’t care, he just kept eating around his boyfriend’s hand. 

Levy tried to hide her grimace, but she didn’t think it worked. She noticed Gajeel sigh next to her. 

“Levy!” Wendy exclaimed, tearing her attention away from the bickering trio. “What do you go to school for? Or are you still in school? What’s your job? Do you have a job? If not, that’s okay! I was just wondering—” 

Levy waved her hand, cutting her off. “Just tutoring. And I’m a linguistics major. Nothing that would be super interesting to any of you, I don’t think.” 

“Heh, maybe you can teach Natsu how to read,” she teased. 

“I can read just fine!” he argued, before leaning over to ruffle her hair. “I read a whole half a book this year!” 

The phrase  _ a whole half a book _ took almost ten years off Levy’s lifespan, but she decided to hold her tongue, and settled for shoving a forkful of spaghetti into her mouth instead. 

“Oh, before I forget, I’m working a night shift Monday,” Gajeel said. “Ju’s gonna come watch you guys.” 

Natsu groaned and flopped down on the table. “When are you gonna stop giving us babysitters? I’m almost nineteen!” 

Gajeel glared at him. “When you stop almost burning the house down when I leave you alone, pyro.” 

“That only happened twice!” 

“That’s two times too many,” he said. 

“Burn the house down?” Levy asked before she could stop herself. 

Natsu grinned. “Fire’s fun! Can’t help it.” He fished a lighter out of his pocket, flicking it on and off. “Ain’t it pretty?” 

Levy leaned back, a little alarmed by his almost manic expression as he admired the little flame. 

“No lighters at the table,” Gajeel muttered. 

Natsu rolled his eyes, but tucked the lighter away. 

“What about Cana?” Wendy asked. “I like when Cana watches us.” 

“Last time Cana watched you, I came home and you were both buzzed on margaritas. No way in hell,” Gajeel said. 

Wendy and Natsu both whined. “But I’m allowed to drink!” Natsu argued. “So are Gray and Erza.” 

“Wendy’s  _ not,” _ he said firmly. 

Erza’s fork screeched across her plate as she scooped up the last of her spaghetti. “I’m gonna go meet up with Mira.” She stood up, tossed her plate into the sink, and left, without so much as a goodbye. 

She really did come and go as she pleased, didn’t she? No one seemed to mind, though. 

“Well, the meal is very delicious, Wendy,” Levy said. “I’m afraid my roommate and I aren’t the best cooks, so we live on takeout and frozen meals.” 

“Oh, I cook every night!” she said. “Feel free to come eat whenever you want!” 

Levy fidgeted, not sure if she could  _ handle _ being around these people anymore than she already had been, but she couldn’t find it in her to turn the girl down, with her wide, shining eyes, and hopeful smile. “Sure,” she said. “If you’ll have me.” Besides, Wendy had already mentioned once how she never got to meet anyone new, she was probably excited. 

Maybe that was why Gajeel was so eager to invite her over, too. Maybe they were all a little lonely. 

And maybe if they expanded their social circles they would learn how to  _ actually _ socialize. They wouldn’t be bringing out lighters, and shoving their hands in people’s plates, and talking about giving twelve-year-olds alcohol, and asking people if they were lesbians the first time they met. 

“Eh, don’t be forcin’ her into coming over again, brat,” Gajeel said. 

“We’re not that bad,” Gray said, just before elbowing Natsu in the ribs as he tried to sneak a bite off his plate. 

Wendy got up, and began clearing away the dishes. 

“Oh, let me help!” Levy attempted, getting up herself, but Wendy leveled her with a fierce glare. “Absolutely not. You’re a guest. Gray, get over here and help me.” 

“I don’t live here!” he argued. 

“Get over there and help her, asshole,” Gajeel said. “You sleep here rent free five nights a week, at least.” 

Natsu laughed. 

“You, too, pyromaniac,” Gajeel added. 

Natsu groaned, but both he and Gray got up to help Wendy with the dishes. 

“Come on, Levy, I can take you back home now, spare you from these idiots,” he said. 

She found herself hesitating, because despite not being quite sure if she even  _ liked _ Gajeel’s siblings and their weird friends, she didn’t exactly feel like she wanted to leave yet. But then again, she didn’t want to overstay her welcome. “Okay.” She stepped out of the kitchen and back into the living room. 

Gajeel stopped to tell his siblings something else, and while she was waiting on him, she crept closer to some of the family pictures lining the walls that she had noticed earlier, wanting a closer look. 

There were a few recent ones, everyone looking the exact same as they had tonight. Erza and Gray were in most of the pictures, as were a few other women, a blue-haired one, a brown-haired one, and two with white hair. There were also two other boys, looking close to Natsu’s age, one with blonde hair, and another with black. There was a particularly cute photo of all of them piled onto a couch, laying on top of one another, laughing and smiling. It was sweet, and she could admit, she hadn't expected Gajeel to be the type of person who was very touchy. 

She turned her attention to some of the older pictures. Everyone was still easily recognizable, though much younger (and Gajeel didn’t have quite so many piercings). And there were two more people, an older couple. It wasn't hard to figure out who they might be. 

“Sorry about the fucking sob story.” 

Levy jumped, whipping around to see Gajeel leaned against the opposite wall, arms crossed. 

“Shoulda realized you’d figure it out pretty quick,” he continued. “You’re a helluva a lot smarter than any of us.” 

“It’s none of my business,” she said, glancing back to the photos once more. Of course, she didn’t know  _ why _ their parents weren’t here, and she definitely wasn’t going to ask, but she got the feeling that Gajeel was trying his best. 

He grunted, turning his head away. “Hit Natsu the hardest. Wendy was only seven, and honestly, I don’t think she remembers much from before.” 

Levy fidgeted with the hem of her cardigan. “I… I don’t want to overstep, but is that why… Natsu is… you know—” 

“A little fucking _off?”_ he finished. 

“W-Well, I wasn’t gonna phrase it  _ that _ way, but—” 

Gajeel sighed and ran his hand down his face. “He’s always been a little odd, and Fullbuster and Scarlet ain’t good influences in that regard, but it definitely got worse after they died. He was real close with his dad.” 

“Wait,  _ his _ dad?” she couldn’t help but ask. 

“Ah, yeah.” Gajeel stepped over and pointed to the couple in the photo. “Igneel and Grandine were actually my aunt and uncle, Natsu and Wendy are technically my cousins. But my own dad died when I was real young, and they took me in. Then they died when I was eighteen. Figured the last thing Natsu and Wendy needed was to be separated, so I dropped out of high school and started working full time so I could keep ‘em. Ju talked me into getting my GED about a year ago and go back to school, since it's a little more stable now.” 

Levy stared at him with wide eyes. He really… God, she was never going to judge someone based on their appearance ever again. 

“Our uncles did their best to help out, too. So did this old bastard, Makarov. Same guy who’s been helping Scarlet and Fullbuster since they were little kids, since they got dealt pretty shit hands, too.” He shrugged. “Not like it was just me.” 

“Still,” Levy said. “That’s a lot to deal with. I don’t think I could have done it.” 

“First year was the hardest,” he said. “After that, it wasn’t so bad.” 

Honestly, Levy was a little shocked that he was telling her all of this. He didn’t seem like the type to open up so easily. Maybe her guess from before hadn’t been that far off. Maybe he really was lonely, maybe he just needed someone to talk to. “Yeah?” 

“That was the first time Natsu had a fire incident, and that was the year he got held back,” he said. “His ADHD has always made school hard for ‘im, but add in losing Igneel, and yeah… his first year of high school was fucking hell.” 

_ Fire incident? _ She’d assumed Natsu had just done something careless, but from the sound of it, it had been a lot more complex than that. And Gajeel still let him play around with lighters? Why? 

Gajeel stepped back. “Come on, I’ll get you home. Like I said, sorry about the fucking sob story.” 

Levy silently tailed after him, giving the photos one last look. She wondered who the other people in them were. More friends? “Hey,” she said. “I was serious. If you’ll have me, I’d be glad to come for dinner every once in a while.”

Gajeel tried to hide a smile, but she noticed it. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna be real with you guys... I forgot I started this lmao 
> 
> Hopefully though, since there's only two more chapters of it, I don't do that again and can finish it up pretty quick. Considering my track record though, I won't guarantee anything lsdjfjhaksdjhfdja

It’d been a week since Levy had gone over to have dinner with Gajeel and his siblings, and they were nearing finals. Gajeel had been coming for his normal tutoring sessions, mostly seeking her help with studying, but he hadn’t mentioned wanting her to come over again, or even brought up the dinner she’d already had with him once. 

Which was… fine. After all, Levy wasn’t even sure if she  _ wanted _ to go back to his house, right? It had sure been… a lot, just the first time. 

But his sister had seemed to like him, and Levy said she would like to come back sometime, so why hadn’t he invited her? Did he regret telling her what he had about their family? 

She supposed she could just ask him, but she didn’t want to push too hard. 

Besides, why did she even  _ care _ so much? 

“Lu!” Levy whined as she flopped down against the couch. “Lu, tell me why I can’t stop thinking about that stupid asshole?” 

“Language, Levy,” Lucy scolded from the kitchen, where she was dumping an alarming amount of powdered cheese on her popcorn. “And I don’t know, why  _ can’t _ you stop thinking about that stupid asshole? I’ve heard about him more the past week than I have the entire rest of the time you’ve known him. What the hell  _ happened _ at his place?” 

Levy bit at her lip. She hadn’t told Lucy anything about the way Gajeel’s family operated or his siblings, she didn’t feel like it was her place. “I don’t know…” 

“You’ve got his number, don’t you? Why don’t you just text him?” Lucy asked, coming to sit down next to Levy. 

“That’s weird,” Levy protested, reaching over to grab a handful of the popcorn that she was really hoping wasn’t Lucy’s dinner. 

“How the  _ fuck _ is that weird?” Lucy demanded. 

“I don’t know, I just—” 

Levy’s phone buzzed, and she grinned as she saw Gajeel’s name pop up on the screen. “Oh!” 

“Well he’ll text you no problem, evidently,” Lucy said, snuggling further into the couch and pulling a blanket across her lap. 

Levy glared at her and snatched her phone off the coffee table. Was Gajeel having some kind of problem with his schoolwork? He’d never texted her about it before. Hell, he only had her number from the time she went to his house, just so he could let her know when he was on his way over to pick her up. 

Honestly, after a week, she hadn’t been expecting him to message her at all. 

_ Hi levy its wendy :D, _ the message read. 

Oh. So Gajeel  _ hadn’t _ actually messaged her. 

_ I’m inviting you over this saturday since gajeel was too much of a coward to do it himself.  _

Levy’s eyes widened, before she began giggling. 

_ He said he didn’t want to make you put up with all of us again but I think you had a good time so I’m asking anyways. A bunch of our other friends will be here too. It's our movie night! I think we’re gonna watch lord of the rings but I’m not sure. You can meet all the lesbians natsu was going on about.  _

“Hey, Lucy,” Levy began. “How many lesbians do you know?” 

Lucy’s eyebrows pinched together. “Uh… I have no idea? People I actually  _ know _ are lesbians? I dunno, like… one? Why? Are you… looking to meet some lesbians?” 

“No, I’m just confused as to how Gajeel happens to know so many lesbians,” she said. She knew queer people tended to flock to each other, she and Lucy were proof of that, but Natsu and Wendy made it sound like they knew  _ a lot _ of lesbians. 

“What the hell did that bastard just send you!?” Lucy demanded. 

“Huh?” Levy began to twirl her hair around her finger. “Oh, nothing. It was actually his sister. She’s inviting me over to watch movies with them.” 

“With his phone?” 

“Mmhm, she said he was too much of a coward to ask me himself.” 

Lucy snorted, shoving her hand over her mouth to keep from spitting half-chewed popcorn everywhere. “Oh, that man has definitely got a thing for you.” 

“I  _ really _ doubt I’m his type. I mean… you’ve met him,” Levy argued. 

“You never know,” Lucy sang. 

Levy rolled her eyes and turned back to her phone, reading the last bit of the message.  _ gajeel will probably try and tell you you don’t have to come, but I think you should! Hopefully I’ll see you there! ;D. _ And the message ended with about ten sparkly emoji hearts. 

Levy sank further into the couch, staring at her phone screen. Of course, she was going to go. She wanted to get to know Gajeel better, and well… if she was being honest, she couldn’t find it in herself to turn Wendy down, even through a text message. 

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard for a second, before she typed out,  _ I’ll be there. _

* * *

Just as Wendy had predicted, as soon as Gajeel had realized what his sister did, he’d hurried to assure Levy she didn’t have to come if she didn’t want to. 

She shut that down immediately, insisting that she very much  _ did _ want to come, and would absolutely be there. Once again, Lucy was a little… wary about her going. It wasn’t necessarily because of Gajeel himself anymore, but because Levy had revealed a bunch of his friends were going to be there. She was insistent that any friends he had were  _ sure _ to be just as weird. 

Well, Levy couldn’t really argue with her about that. Erza and Gray had been… strange, to say the least. She couldn’t even imagine what everyone else was like. 

But she was  _ beyond _ curious about them. 

“Please don’t do any drugs with them,” Lucy requested as she leaned against the doorway. 

“Lucy!” Levy gasped, jerking back from the mirror as she messed up her eyeliner. “No one’s doing—” She cut herself off. “Hard drugs. I’m gonna say hard drugs,” she amended. “Like crack, or something.” She could not in good conscience assure Lucy that they weren’t doing drugs of any kind. “Even if some of them do, there’s no way Gajeel would let them do that around his little sister.” 

“You sure keep falling back on that twelve year old for a lot of excuses,” Lucy said. 

“It’s not like your friends aren’t all super weird,” Levy argued. 

“Yeah that’s fair,” Lucy relented. “You know I found out Loke isn’t actually Loke’s real name? His name is fucking  _ Leo.”  _ She rolled her eyes. “How the hell do you get Loke from Leo?” 

Levy shook her head before trying to fix her wiggly eyeliner. “No idea, Lu. I’ll try and let you know how late I’ll be out, though.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Lucy said. 

* * *

Levy ended up borrowing Lucy’s car to drive to Gajeel’s this time, not wanting to inconvenience him by having him come pick her up this time. Judging by the amount of cars and motorcycles parked along the street outside his house, she was one of the last ones there. 

She… also wondered if Wendy had mixed up a movie night with an actual party, because based on the noise levels, and the music she could hear from outside, it didn’t seem much like a relaxing movie night. 

Which was fine! She just… would have mentally prepared a little better. But she was here, she’d promised Wendy and Gajeel she would come, so she couldn’t just  _ leave. _

Taking a deep breath, she shuffled towards the door and hesitantly pushed it open. “Hello?” 

“Levy!” Wendy squealed, running towards her and wrapping her in a hug. “I’m so happy you came! Come on.” She let go of Levy, only to grab her hand and start dragging her through the house and the multiple people that she hadn’t even gotten the chance to get a good look at yet. “Gajeel is in the kitchen, I’ll take you to him!” 

“I thought you said you were watching Lord of the Rings?” Levy asked. 

“We are! See!” Wendy twisted around to point towards the TV. No one was paying the slightest bit of attention to it, but through the writhing crowd, Levy  _ could _ catch glimpses of the Fellowship going through Moria. 

“O-Oh… How many people are here?” She’d figured there would be about ten,  _ maybe _ fifteen people, but the entire house was  _ packed! _

Wendy shrugged. “No idea! Natsu invited Erza and Gray, and Erza invited her friend Kagura, and Kagura brought all her friends, and Gray invited his brother Lyon, and he brought some of his friends. Oh, and Mirajane brought Lisanna and Elfman, and our cousins Sting and Rogue brought Minerva and Yukino and I don’t even know who else. Oh, oh, oh, and of course there’s Juvia and Cana, and I think Cana brought Lo—” 

Levy just tuned Wendy’s prattling out at that point. She didn’t know any of these people, but obviously… Gajeel and his siblings knew  _ a lot _ more people than she had been expecting. There was no way they could possibly be  _ lonely, _ so why had they gotten so attached to her? 

“Levy? Levy McGarden?” Someone shoved their way through the crowd. “No way! It  _ is _ you! How the hell you know all these bastards?” 

“L-Loke?” Levy stammered. She’d only met Loke a couple times ever since he’d started working with Lucy, she’d brought him over once, and Levy had had a short conversation with him when she’d brought Lucy lunch one day, but he’d seemed nice enough. However, she  _ never _ would have expected he’d know Gajeel! 

“Yeah! Is Lucy here with you?” he asked, looking around, like he might somehow be able to spot her amongst everyone, with the lights as dim as they were. 

“No, no it’s just me,” she said, looking him up and down. He certainly looked a lot  _ different _ here, without the suit he’d been wearing the past couple times Levy had seen him. But then again, she supposed that  _ was _ his work attire. 

“Who’s Lucy?” Wendy asked. 

“Oh, she’s my roommate,” Levy answered. “And she works with Loke.” 

_ “Ooohhh…” _ Wendy nodded thoughtfully. “You should bring her next time!” 

“Yes, you should,” Loke said with a smirk. “Actually… maybe I’ll call her…” 

“Uh…” Well, at least Levy was pretty sure she could tell Lucy that Loke  _ was _ interested in her in that way. “Sure… Should we go find Gajeel, now?” she asked. 

“Yeah, come on! He was excited to see you.” Wendy started tugging on her hand again, and Levy waved over her shoulder at Loke. She couldn’t wait to tell Lucy that the guy she was crushing on ran with the same social group that Lucy had been so worried about. Maybe that would make her realize she was being a little ridiculous and overprotective. 

Wendy finally managed to squeeze past the rest of the people blocking the way to the kitchen. “Gajeel! Look who it is!” 

Gajeel turned away from the blue haired woman he’d been conversing with, smiling as he looked at Levy. “Hey, shrimp! Glad to see none of the bastards have run ya off yet. You want a drink? Cana can make just about anything.” 

“Ah… maybe later.” She wasn’t too big on drinking, and she got the feeling that the drunker everyone here got, the wilder it was going to get. “But it’s nice to see you!” 

Wendy let go of her hand, and wormed her way back into the living room, giggling about something that Levy wasn’t able to discern over the sounds of the music. 

“You must be Levy,” the other woman said with a smile. “I’m Juvia, it’s nice to meet you!” 

“Oh, so you’re the one who forced him to come see me in the first place,” Levy laughed. “So really you’re the reason I’m here at all.” 

“I suppose that is true…” Juvia said, before elbowing Gajeel in the ribs and smirking. “It  _ is _ all because of me.” 

Gajeel rolled his eyes, and grabbed Juvia’s hat. “Hey, Natsu!” 

Natsu stuck his head up from behind the open fridge door. “Huh?” 

Gajeel tossed his brother the hat, despite Juvia trying to grab it back from him. “Don’t let Ju have that back ‘til I say so.” 

Natsu grabbed a beer out of the fridge, before running off with the hat and laughing. 

“I’m gonna kill you, asshole,” Juvia muttered. “Gray!” she screeched, stomping off after Natsu. “Come get my hat back from your idiot boyfriend!” 

Levy raised an eyebrow at Gajeel. 

He shrugged. “Wanted Ju off my case, and that’ll give Natsu something to do for a while. If we’re lucky he’ll get distracted with keep away and won’t try and start a fight with someone. Like I said, we got drinks if you want one, pretty sure Sting’s already high on somethin’ if that’s more your thing, and uh…” He gestured towards the counter. “Wendy made cookies. I’d recommend getting one now before everyone else hogs ‘em all.” 

“I think I’ll just take the cookie,” Levy said, stepping towards the counter to grab one, deciding not to dwell on the possibility of Natsu starting a fight. The cookies had all been cut into different shapes: stars, butterflies, hearts, and were all covered in brightly colored icing. “It’s uh… kinda crazy here, huh?” 

Gajeel sighed. “Sorry, didn’t mean to trick ya into thinking it was gonna be something small and quiet. Honestly, I wasn’t expectin’ this many people myself. They kinda just all invited themselves.”

She nibbled on her cookie. “Oh, it’s fine. I admit, parties really aren’t my thing, but… I could stand to get out a little more.” 

“Yeah… well come on.” He motioned for her to follow him. “Might as well introduce you to some of the bastards.” 


	4. Chapter 4

“Well, well, if it ain’t the chick that actually taught Gajeel math.” A glass of brightly colored alcohol was shoved into Levy’s hands. “I gotta admit, I’m impressed.” 

“Piss off, asshole,” Gajeel grumbled. He flicked the brunette across the forehead, then took the drink back from Levy. “And she said she didn’t wanna drink.” 

“Really?” She leaned forward, getting close enough to her that Levy could smell the booze on her breath. “I think I brought some apple juice for Wendy, she can have some of that.” 

“Cana…” Gajeel groaned and shook his head. 

Levy snatched the drink back from Gajeel’s hand. Maybe she’d be a little braver if she was tipsy. Or at the least, she wouldn’t be having such a hard time socializing with everyone else. Besides, whatever the drink was, it smelled good and looked nice. 

Gajeel raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything as she gulped it down. It tasted like blueberries. 

“By the way, I think my girlfriend is going to strangle you for giving Natsu her hat, you know?” Cana said, before taking a sip from her own drink. “You know how much she loves that thing.” 

“Yeah, well… she was bein’ annoying,” he said. 

Cana slung her arm around Levy’s shoulders, a smug smile on her face. “Aw, what’d she do? Bring something up about your new little girlfriend?” 

Levy squeaked, the cup slipping from her fingers as heat rushed across her cheeks. 

Cana cackled, and managed to catch the cup for her, only a little bit of the alcohol sloshing out. 

“Who the hell said anything about a girlfriend?” Gajeel demanded, and his cheeks might have been even more red than Levy’s. 

Cana handed the cup back to Levy, and she held her hand over her mouth to try and stifle the laughter. “See, you don’t have a hat to take from me,” she said. “And if you sic your dumbass brother on me in an attempt to distract me, you know I’ll just punch him. So I can call you out on your shit.” She turned to Levy and smirked. “Gajeel don’t bring anyone new around, hon. Don’t let him fool you.” She let go of her, and slunk off to talk to a white-haired woman about something. 

“I uh…” Gajeel glanced over at her, and awkwardly cleared his throat. “I promise I’m not like… trying to get with you or anything. It’s not like that.” 

Levy waved him off. “Oh, it’s… it’s fine.” Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise her if it turned out Gajeel had a thing for her. Despite her thinking she wasn’t really his type, the more time she spent around him, the more sense it made. There really was no other reason for him to invite her to things like this otherwise, considering the  _ insane _ amount of friends he already had. Besides, it wasn’t just Lucy speculating anymore, Gajeel’s own friends had all started hinting that he liked her, and Levy wasn’t an idiot. 

Of course, that did mean  _ she _ had to figure out if she even saw Gajeel that way herself. 

Honestly, she didn’t have the slightest idea. But she also trusted him not to say anything about it. After all, so far, he’d spent the night trying to get the people he hung out with to shut up about it. 

Gajeel sighed and shook his head. “Sorry about that… Cana and Ju have been tryin’ to get me to date someone for a while. They think it’d be good for me.” 

“Trust me, I get it.” Lucy had tried setting Levy up a couple times with people she knew, despite Levy telling her she really just wasn’t interested in dating at the moment. “Besides, I’m this shiny new thing, aren’t I? Who better to set you up with?” She laughed, and took another swig from her drink. “Really, it’s okay. You don’t have to get embarrassed about it.” 

“I’m not embarrassed!” he protested. “I just… I don’t wanna make it weird for  _ you.” _

She waved him off. “It was weird for me the second I stepped foot in this house for the first time. We’re well past that, but… I still came back, didn’t I?” 

“Think you might be fuckin’ crazy,” he said. 

“Please, I’m the  _ least _ crazy person here,” she argued. “I think I just saw someone throwing knives at someone else’s head.” 

Gajeel took a deep breath, like he was trying to calm himself down. “I swear to Christ, if Scarlet or Kagura accidentally kill someone in  _ my _ goddamn house…” 

_ “Gajeel!”  _ The white-haired woman that Cana had been talking to launched herself towards him and clung on his side. “Is this her? Oh, she looks so sweet!” She smiled at Levy. “My name’s Mirajane, but you can call me Mira! Cana was just telling me about you, and Erza has brought you up a few times, it’s so nice to finally meet you!” 

“Oh, Mira, leave them alone.” Another white-haired girl stepped over and pulled Mirajane away from Gajeel. “They were in the middle of a conversation.” 

“Oh no, it’s fine,” Levy assured them. “It’s nice to meet you.” She was sure by the end of the night, she will have forgotten so many names and faces, especially if she continued to drink, considering the sheer amount of people she was being introduced to. “It’s nice to meet so many of Gajeel’s friends.” 

“Yes, I believe we’re some of the lesbians you’ve been hearing about,” Mirajane giggled. 

Levy choked on her drink, a little bit of it trickling out of her nose, and  _ damn, _ it burned! 

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Mirajane exclaimed, clapping her hands over her mouth. 

Gajeel muttered something under his breath, before saying, “Hang on, I’ll go get you a napkin or something,” and heading back towards the kitchen. 

“I didn’t mean to—” Mirajane shook her head. “It’s just… we thought it was funny how concerned Gajeel was that Wendy and Natsu might have weirded you out by saying stuff about how they knew a lot of lesbians. Thought we’d clear it up. It’s… It’s kind of a running joke, for our group.” 

Levy nodded. “I figured it was, honestly I never thought  _ too _ much about it.” 

Mirajane clasped her hands behind her back and began swaying to the music. “Me and Lisanna here are both lesbians, and then so is Juvia. Oh, and Wendy is, too. And Erza and Cana are both bi. They didn’t mean anything by it.” 

“No, no, you’re all fine. Trust me, I understand,” Levy assured them. “My roommate and myself are bi, too. We make jokes like that all the time. It just… I admit it threw me for a loop, but that was mostly just because meeting them all at once at had me a little antsy.” 

“It was Natsu, wasn’t it?” Lisanna asked. “He’s… he can be a lot if you’re not used to him.” 

“Natsu and Erza,” Levy admitted. “Gray and Wendy weren’t…  _ as _ jarring.” 

Lisanna gave Mirajane a teasing smile. “Teach your girlfriend how to socialize better.” 

“Oh, I didn’t mean—!” Levy attempted to say, gesturing wildly with her free hand. 

But Mirajane merely laughed. “Oh, don’t worry about it. I know Erza is hopeless when it comes to that kind of thing. Quite frankly, she always has been.” Then her laughter died away. “Honestly, I’m just glad that Gajeel’s found someone like you. He hasn’t dated anyone since his parents passed away… He actually ended up breaking up with his boyfriend not too long after it happened so he’d have more time for Natsu and Wendy. That… and Laxus never really  _ was _ the greatest with kids.” 

“He’s gotten better,” Lisanna interjected. “He and Freed actually took Wendy and Chelia out the other day when I ended up having to stay late at work and couldn’t.” 

Levy hummed and swirled her drink around. It seemed like Gajeel had put a lot of his life on hold for Natsu and Wendy. Honestly, she was a little touched that he liked her enough to try and… connect with her. 

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Mirajane exclaimed. “I really shouldn’t just be dumping all of this kind of stuff on you! I’m not trying to like… guilt you into dating him or anything like that at all, I just—” 

“You’re fine,” Levy assured her, finally looking up from her drink again. “I know he’s had it rough, I—”

“Here.” Gajeel handed her a wad of paper towels. “Hey, Lisanna, do me a favor and keep an eye on Natsu, will you? He’s plastered, and he’s started antagonizin’ the hell out of anyone he can. Caught him doing it to Bixlow, Lyon, and Kagura. He actually listens better to you when it comes to not fightin’ than he does to Scarlet and Fullbuster.” 

Lisanna’s smile somehow managed to brighten. “Sure, Gajeel! Come on, Mira.” They bounded into the crowd. 

“They were nice,” Levy said as she dabbed at the alcohol that had dripped onto her clothes earlier. “Really nice, actually.” 

“Mm, yeah.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Think the universe made ‘em that way to balance out Erza and Natsu. They’re real good at keepin’ them in line.” 

“Yeah… So why are you so worried about Natsu getting in fights?” she asked. 

“It ain’t just him,” he said. “I’m worried about every goddamn person here gettin’ in a fight.” He shook his head. “I don’t mind it normally. Hell, I like to fight with ‘em a lot too, just not in my damn house. I’m the one who’s gotta clean all the shit up and replace broken furniture. But Natsu’ll do anything for a fight. ‘Specially when he’s drunk. He doesn’t get pissed or anything, idiot just thinks it’s fun.” 

“Ah.” Levy leaned against the wall. She didn’t personally understand the appeal of getting into a fight, but she supposed she could understand some people thinking it was entertaining. Especially someone like Natsu. 

“I’m gonna kill you, you _ bastard!” _ someone shouted. 

_ “Shit,” _ Gajeel hissed. “Hang on, sounds like someone pissed off Kagura, and that’s just fuckin’ great. I’ll be right back.” He turned on his heel and shoved his way through the group of people that was gathering by the kitchen doorway, excitedly murmuring about some kind of fight. 

She considered staying right there, waiting on Gajeel to sort out whatever the hell was going on, but her curiosity got the better of her. If all these people liked fighting so much, surely their fights had to be very fun to watch, right? 

She set her cup down on the nearest table, and rushed after Gajeel, already hearing him yelling at  _ someone, _ but it was getting drowned out by multiple other voices joining in. Some telling people to stop, some screaming for a fight, some challenging  _ other _ people to a fight. 

Levy yelped, and just managed to dodge a beer bottle that someone had thrown. She saw Cana wrestling Loke to the ground out of the corner of her eye, Gray aiming a punch at a green haired man, Mirajane chased after a white-haired man, trying to tell him not to do this right now, but he wasn’t listening at all, Juvia snatched her hat off Natsu’s head, just as he leapt at a dark haired woman brandishing a  _ knife, _ with Gajeel and Lisanna trying to shove their ways in between them. 

_ Holy hell. _ This wasn’t some little  _ fight. _ This was… was… some kind of ridiculous  _ brawl.  _ A bar fight. These people  _ really _ looked like they were trying to hurt one another. 

She took a hasty step back, realizing she was  _ way _ in over her head here. 

Someone fell against her, shoving her into another person, that just happened to catch her across the jaw with their elbow. 

She cried out, feeling a sharp pain and tasting blood, and next thing she knew she was on the floor, the world spinning around her. 


	5. Chapter 5

“Levy? Levy! Hey,  _ Levy!”  _ Someone tapped her on the forehead. “Fuck, Gajeel is gonna kill us!” 

“You’re the dipshit who hit her!” 

“I didn’t mean to! I was going for Cana!” 

Levy blinked, staring hard at the ceiling above her. Why was she on the floor? Why did her  _ jaw _ hurt so bad? “Hello…?” She had a pounding headache, but that might have been because  _ I’m Not Okay _ by My Chemical Romance was blaring at an alarming volume. 

Two men gasped and kneeled over her. “Oh thank Christ, okay… at least she’s conscious now.” 

Glass shattered somewhere nearby. Multiple voices were shouting, but none of it was intelligible enough for her to make out. What the hell had just happened? 

“Sorry…” the blond muttered, reaching up to awkwardly rub the back of his head. “I got a little too into the fight and accidentally elbowed you in the head. Think it knocked you out for a few seconds. You alright?” 

Levy squinted, before deciding that yeah, that made sense. She certainly remembered getting hit. She also remembered… 

Her eyes widened as she actually registered the blood in her mouth, and she moved her tongue around, trying to find the source. 

“Maybe you gave her a concussion,” the dark haired man said. 

“Oh god, I hope not. Gajeel really will skin me!” The blond leaned closer. “But I mean… I hit her across the jaw, I think? That can’t give you a concussion… I don’t think…” 

The other man rolled his eyes. “You need help getting up?” 

Levy winced as he tongue connected with one of her teeth, a sharp pain shooting through the tooth as well as her gums and jaw, just as it popped loose. “Oh, fuck…” She forced herself up, ignoring the offers of help, and stuck her fingers in her mouth to pull the tooth out. 

“Oh, shit! Rogue, Rogue, I knocked her tooth out!” 

Rogue sighed. “Yes, I can see that, Sting.” 

Levy stared down at the bloody tooth in her hand. It had been one of her molars, so she supposed it  _ could _ be worse. At least it wasn’t one of her front teeth. But it still  _ hurt, _ and she was going to have to find a dentist to fix it— Oh god, the  _ bill. _ “Oh no…” She curled her fingers around the tooth and pulled her knees to her chest so she could press her forehead against them. 

“I’m gonna go get Gajeel,” Rogue murmured, before getting to his feet and forcing his way through the group of people that were still trying to wreck each other’s shit. 

Sting patted her shoulder. “Uh… I’m really sorry. Shit, that probably hurts, doesn’t it?” 

“Little bit,” Levy admitted. She could still taste blood spurting onto her tongue, and now that she was actually focusing on it, the pain was about to bring tears to her eyes. She forced herself to look up at Sting, and he did look genuinely sorry. “But it’s fine.” 

“I… I don’t have a lot of money, but please let me know what it costs to fix, I’ll try and help as much as I can,” he said. 

Levy shook her head. “N-No, it’s fine.” She’d figure something out. If it was too expensive to actually get the tooth put back in, or a fake one, or whatever needed to happen, she would just live with it. She could survive with a missing tooth. 

“Levy, dear.” Juvia kneeled down next to her, causing her to jump. “Come on, Rogue told me what happened, let’s get you outside, alright? Away from all the noise.” Gently, she pulled Levy to her feet, and led her out towards the front door. 

Sting gave her another helpless look, before getting to his feet and dashing off somewhere. 

“I think Wendy’s going to bring you out some painkillers or something,” Juvia told her as she ushered her out the door. “And Natsu’s getting you some ice.” 

Levy nodded, before falling into one of the old, rickety chairs on the porch. 

“Forgive Sting,” Juvia said as she sat in the chair next to hers. “He can be a bit clueless, and he’s probably high, too.” 

“He looked like he was about to cry,” Levy couldn’t help but chuckle. 

Juvia smiled and patted her hand. “He’s a good person, like I said… just a little clueless. Though I suppose that could be said for all of us.” 

Levy hummed, and brought her hand up to rub at her jaw. Was it starting to swell? 

The front door banged open. “Levy, I’m sorry!” Natsu rushed towards her and dumped a plastic baggie filled with ice and a washcloth in her lap. “I wasn’t even thinkin’ about you being here when I started that shit.” 

“It’s okay,” she assured him, wrapping the ice up in the rag and gently pressing it against her jaw. “It’s just a tooth.” 

Natsu frowned, like he was thinking really hard about something, before he grinned and asked, “Can I have it?” 

“Wha— My  _ tooth!?” _ she demanded. 

“Natsu!” Juvia exclaimed. 

“What? It ain’t like it’s in her mouth anymore!” Natsu argued. “She doesn’t need it!” 

“Go back inside, Natsu!” Juvia growled. “And apologize to Kagura while you’re at it.” 

He muttered something under his breath, but listened to her and shuffled back inside. 

Juvia groaned and sagged in her seat as soon as he was gone. “Honestly… I swear he’s hopeless sometimes. Just ignore him.” 

Levy sank further into her seat and rolled her bloody tooth around in her palm, still unsure  _ what _ to think about Natsu. “It’s fine,” she sighed. “God, Lucy is never gonna let this go…” 

“Lucy?” 

“My roommate,” Levy said, risking a glance over at the other woman. “She… she’s been twitchy about me hanging out with Gajeel and the rest of you…” 

“Ah.” Juvia held her finger to her chin. “I suppose I can’t really blame her, considering how well we’ve done with first impressions. And from what I heard, Gajeel’s wasn’t that great either. Honestly, why  _ are _ you still coming around?” 

Levy shrugged. “At first I think it was mostly curiosity, but I don’t know… I think I do like Gajeel. I’m still making my mind up about the rest of you though. Oh, except Wendy, she’s fine. I like her.” 

“Ha!” Juvia began to twirl her hair around her finger. “Most people do. She's entirely too nice. The poor dear has yet to realize she has all the boys in her class fawning over her.” 

“Well… evidently she is a lesbian,” Levy pointed out. 

“True, but I was convinced I was in love with Gray for a while,” she said. “Heteronormativity is a hell of a drug.” 

Levy hummed and shifted the ice pack to another part of her jaw. “True… though it’s probably thanks to all of you guys that she figured it out so easily. Are  _ any _ of you straight?” she laughed. 

Juvia’s eyebrows pinched together in thought. “Elfman is, I believe. He’s our token straight friend.” 

Levy had no idea who Elfman was, but she’d take Juvia’s word for it. “You know… I think I like you, too.” 

Juvia smiled. “Well, that’s a relief. At least there’s three of us you can tolerate.” 

“Mirajane and Lisanna, too.” 

“Hell yeah! We’re up to five!” 

Levy laughed, before wincing and holding her other hand to her jaw. “Oh… oh fuck.” 

Juvia’s smile melted. “I suppose breaking your tooth out is a pretty damn big strike against everyone here, though, isn’t it?” 

Levy took a deep breath. “It wasn’t anybody’s fault. It just happened. Besides, I think this is the most interesting thing that’s happened to me. In a while anyways.” 

The front door banged open, and Gajeel rushed out. “Shit, fuck, Levy, I’m sorry. I swear, I’m gonna beat Natsu and Sting’s asses. Do I need to take you to a hospital?” 

She waved him off. “No, it’s okay. I’ll call a dentist tomorrow. I’m not sure the ER would do anything about this, and I’d rather not pay for that.” 

Gajeel frowned. “You sure?” 

She nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll survive. It’s not even bleeding that much.” 

“Ju, go help Wendy. She’s tryin’ to make her some kind of weird tea, I don’t know, she insisted,” Gajeel said. 

“Sure.” Juvia hopped up and slipped back inside, sparing Levy one more smile. 

“She’s sweet,” Levy said as soon as she was gone. “So she’s the one who talked you into coming to my tutoring, huh?” 

“Well…” Gajeel began to fidget with his fingers and sat down next to her. “In the beginning yeah, but it wasn’t long before I was going without her on my ass all the time. God, y’er probably fucking pissed though, aren’t you?” 

“Not really,” she assured him. “It shocked me, but… but it’s okay.” 

“You don’t gotta lie,” he sighed. “And you  _ definitely _ don’t have to come back.” 

“Do you not  _ want _ me to come back?” 

“I don’t want you to end up missing any more teeth.” 

Levy snorted with laughter. “Yeah, I could go without that. But I… I think I had fun. Well, before I got a tooth punched out. Kinda hurts.” 

Gajeel winced. “I’m never gonna hear the end of this, huh?” 

“Probably not. I know Sting definitely won’t.” She sighed, and shifted so she could lean forward to rest her elbows on her knees. “Heard about your ex-boyfriend.” She had no idea why she brought it up, but well… if Gajeel really  _ was _ interested in her, she wanted to know if he  _ actually _ was, or if he just wanted to date someone because so many people thought he should. 

“Oh, fucking great. Who told you about Laxus? God, it wasn’t  _ him, _ was it?” he asked. 

She shook his head. “No, I didn’t even know he was here. No, it was Mira.” 

“‘Course it fucking was,” he grumbled. “Damn gossip never knows how to keep her mouth shut.” 

“Look, Gajeel…” 

He glanced over at her, something unreadable in his eyes. Maybe it was worry? She had no idea. “You don’t have to say anything,” he said, turning away and letting his hair fall into his face. “I figured you know I like you by this point, since every fucking dumbass I know seems determined to tell you, but you don’t have to like… we can act like I don’t. I sure as hell am never gonna bring it up. And by now I think you’ve figured out that it ain’t just me you’d be getting, it’d be all these assholes, too.” 

Yes, Levy had realized that. Obviously, this was a very tightly knit group. Getting close with one of them, meant accepting the entire lot of them. “You didn’t actually let me say what I wanted to. Now… I haven’t dated anyone in years, and I admit… I’m not sure how I’ll handle your friends, or even your siblings on a regular basis—” 

“My siblings ain’t negotiable,” he interrupted. 

Levy nodded. “I know. And I’d never try and put myself above them, believe me.” Gajeel had already done so much for Natsu and Wendy, and Levy wasn’t going to be the thing that tried to come between them. “I’m telling you this, because  _ say _ I want to give you a shot, I need you to understand that it’s going to take me some time to get used to… to things like this,  _ people _ like this.” 

Gajeel’s eyes widened. “Shit, really? I thought you’d be running for the fucking hills by now!” Then he grinned. “Seriously?” 

“I like you, Gajeel,” she said. “I may not have friends to spill all my secrets, but I figured that was… kind of obvious, even before _I_ figured it out. Honestly, I  _ didn’t  _ figure it out until my damn tooth popped out and I asked myself what the hell I was even doing here. Well, it was because of  _ you. _ You dragged yourself to my tutoring, so I dragged myself to this whacked out party. Fair, right?” 

Gajeel’s shoulders shook with laughter. “Damn, yeah, you’re  _ really _ somethin’ else. I thought you were gonna kill me when I got out here.” 

“Oh, it’s not me you have to worry about,” Levy told him. “I still need to call Lucy and tell her I’m missing a tooth now.” 

Gajeel’s happy expression faded. “Shit… the blonde chick?” 

Levy nodded. “The blonde chick.” 

“She really is gonna kill me.” 

“Don’t worry.” Levy reached over to pat his shoulder. “You’ll be just fine. It’s when I tell her we’re gonna try dating that you need to get really worried.” 

“Goddammit.” 

* * *

“What did I say, Levy?  _ Huh? _ What was it I fucking said? They’re gonna steal your goddamn teeth!” Lucy shouted over the phone. “Honestly, you never listen…”

"I think I'm gonna go on a date with Gajeel... see what happens..." 

"Oh my fucking god. I knew it!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said at the beginning, this was more a little experiment for me, since I've never done anything without any fantasy elements. It was interesting, and the writing's a bit... wonky, if I'm honest. But nonetheless, I hope someone enjoyed this rushed, little slapped together thing. Thanks for reading!


End file.
